Topic: The Voice

Earlier this week, in torrents of confetti, the new winners of two flashy TV singing contests were crowned. But the ballyhoo around the coronation of North Carolina hard rocker Caleb Johnson on Fox’s American Idol, and Indiana soulster Josh Kaufman, on NBC’s “The Voice,” was dimmed by chatter about the general decline of TV singathons.

Full of an infectious energy that seemed to thrum deep within him, country singer-songwriter Austin Jenckes burst onto The Crocodile’s stage in a whirl of heartfelt lyrics and syrupy, satisfying hooks.

“Feeling good!” he exclaimed. It was not a question.

Forgive Jenckes for being excited. The Duvall, Wash., native recently finished up a run on NBC’s singing competition “The Voice,” and is headed out on tour with Cody Beebe and the Crooks.

After making it all the way to the top 10, Duvall, Wash., native Austin Jenckes finally got booted from NBC’s singing competition “The Voice” last night.

Jenckes, 25, sang “Your Love” by The Outfield during the live show Monday night and turned in a solid but not particularly memorable performance. When it comes to reality show competitions, being unmemorable is perhaps the biggest sin a competitor can commit and Jenckes just picked a bad week to be bland.

Winning a spot on “The Voice” wasn’t necessarily in Jenckes’ plans. The big, bearded dude with a soulful, charismatic voice was living in Nashville trying to find work as a songwriter when a friend suggested he try out.

This season of NBC’s singing competition “The Voice” has reached a fever pitch. We’re down to the top 10 competitors, among them Duvall, Wash., native Austin Jenckes, who has continued to dazzle judges and television audiences with his powerful, emotive voice and energy.

Unfortunately for all the remaining singers, Monday night’s performances were pretty uneven, which had a lot to do with the song choices the coaches (Christina Aguilera, Blake Shelton, Adam Levine and CeeLo Green) made. See how it all panned out after the jump.

The top 12 competitors of NBC’s “The Voice” squared off Monday night. Duvall, Wash., native Austin Jenckes, had a nice night, but Tacoma’s Stephanie Anne Johnson was voted off by fans last week. Her run ended with the first round of live performances when fans (not judges Christina Aguilera, CeeLo Green, Blake Shelton and Adam Levine) voted her off along with seven other singers.

Just like any good reality show, Monday’s performances ranged from the very good to the very horrible. Two more contestants leave the show tonight. We’ve got the scoop on how the top 12 stacked up after the jump.

It was another night of live performances on NBC’s “The Voice” singing competition, and this time it was up to team members singing for Christina Aguilera and Cee-lo Green to prove they deserve to stay.

Among those singing for their lives Tuesday was Stephanie Johnson, a Tacoma resident. Final voting results (the live rounds are controlled by viewers’ votes) from this week’s round are set to broadcast Thursday.

See where Tuesday’s contestants were able to land on our power rankings and then check out our coverage of Thursday’s show with updated complete rankings to reflect who was able to hold on to a spot.

Soulful Duvall singer Austin Jenckes and Tacoma’s Stephanie Johnson have both made it through to the live rounds of “The Voice,” NBC’s singing competition where the contestants are coached by celebrity artists Cee-lo Green, Christina Aguilera, Blake Shelton and Adam Levine.

Monday’s show featured Team Blake (whose team members have won three times in five seasons) and Team Adam, with Aguilera and Green getting a chance to see their team members square off tonight. Final voting results for this week’s round will be broadcast Thursday.

Until then, check out where Monday’s contestants rank and hop back here tomorrow for a recap of Tuesday’s show. Unlike the judges — who amazingly forget how to be critical during their first live show of the year — we won’t pull any punches. Rankings after the jump.

On the way to choosing a season winner, NBC’s leading talent competition show The Voice puts its vocalist contestants through some brutal sing-offs. Two Western Washington performers have made it through the on-air auditions, and last week’s one-on-one battles decided by the pop star judges, to take part in this week’s (ouch) “knockout rounds,” which air locally Monday at 8 p.m. and Tuesday…

Western Washington singers have had a generous share of airtime on television’s top vocal competitions in the past few years. With the new season of “The Voice,” which starts Monday on NBC, the trend continues. Maybe. In contention in the first round (and maybe beyond) is singer-songwriter Austin Jenckes, a young troubadour from rural Duvall. Part of the Seattle indie scene, Jenckes has put out…

About us

Seattle Times music coordinator Paul de Barros has written about jazz and pop music for the paper since 1982 and is the author of “Jackson Street After Hours: The Roots of Jazz in Seattle.” On Twitter @pdebarros.

Andrew Matson is a freelance writer and close follower of the Seattle pop music scene – especially the genres of rap, rock and electronic. On Twitter @andrewmatson.

Seattle native Gene Stout has been writing about popular music for more than two decades and has interviewed and profiled many of Seattle’s best-known musicians. On Twitter @popmusiccritic.

Charles R. Cross is a Seattle-based writer who has authored eight books, including the bestselling biography of Kurt Cobain, "Heavier Than Heaven." On Twitter @Charlesrcross.

Charlie Zaillian served as music director of Olympia’s influential KAOS-FM, has a particular affection for punk rock and has freelanced for The Seattle Times since 2011. On Twitter @czaillian

Owen R. Smith is a freelance journalist and music writer, country music aficionado, erstwhile sportswriter and one-time novelist. On Twitter @inanedetails.

Gillian G. Gaar has written extensively about music and popular culture and is the author of several books. On Twitter @GillianGaar.

Mike Ramos is a Seattle native and freelance writer who has followed rap music since the early '90s and can sometimes be heard DJing on KEXP FM. On Twitter: @RAM0S206.

Andrew Gospe is a freelance writer and electronic musician who's called Seattle home since 2009. On Twitter: @gospea.